Edward left two young sons behind, the eldest of which was crowned Edward V.
But Edward IV died suddenly in 1483, before she could gain his goodwill. At first, her attempts centered on convincing the House of York that Henry represented no real threat to their interest. Worked for Return of Her Sonįor the next 12 years, though Beaufort did not see her beloved son, she never tired in her efforts to secure his At 15, Henry Tudor suddenly became the only surviving male of the House of Lancaster, "the only imp now left of Henry VI's blood." Consequently, Henry's life was in great danger from Yorkist plots, so his enterprising uncle Jasper spirited him out of England in June of 1471 and settled the boy in Brittany. Though Henry VI briefly regained the throne in 1470, the Yorks again seized the reigns of government after the Battle of Tewkesbury in 1471, forcing the hand of disaster upon the Lancastrian line. Henry Tudor would be her only child, and she poured out all her love, attention, and ambition on him-obsessed with securing his "glory and well-doing." This marriage lasted until Stafford's death ten years later, but Beaufort never conceived again. Whether or not she held feelings of affection for her new husband remains unknown, but as a propertied young widow, with Jasper Tudor no longer in favor, she needed a male protector. In 1461, Beaufort married another distant cousin of royal ancestry named Henry Stafford. Intending for Henry to marry his daughter Maud, Lord Herbert took great care to ensure his safety and education. Although it was doubtless very painful for Beaufort to be separated from her five-year-old son, at least Henry's welfare was assured. Pembroke castle was confiscated and given to a Yorkist sympathizer, and Henry's wardship sold to another Yorkist, Lord Herbert of Raglan. In 1461, Yorkist king Edward IV successfully took the throne, after having the Lancastrian Henry VI imprisoned as a lunatic. But the young Countess of Richmond showed her son untiring care, and young Henry survived-only to face even greater danger with the changing fortunes of the Lancastrian clan in the Wars of the Roses.
Beaufort moved to Pembroke Castle, home of her brother-in-law Jasper, where on January 28, 1457, she gave birth to a son, Henry Tudor.Ī small and sickly infant, in an age when over half of all children died before the age of five, Henry was given little hope for survival. Edmund Tudor, 13 years her senior, died in November of the following year, leaving his 13-year-old wife seven months pregnant. Ready to obey her heavenly visitor, Beaufort agreed to the match, but the wedding was postponed until 1455, when she reached the more mature age of 12. Margaret stayed awake praying that very night, until "about four o'clock in the morning one appeared to her arrayed like a bishop, and naming unto her Edmund Tudor, bade her take him as her husband."
As a small child, she had been engaged to John de la Pole, son of the Duke of Suffolk, but when informed of the change in custody arrangements, eight-year-old Margaret sought the advice of a trusted older woman who suggested she pray to St. The new arrangements changed the course of Margaret's future. The Lancastrian king, Henry VI, bestowed wardship of the girl on his half-brother Edmund Tudor, Earl of Richmond his brother Jasper, Earl of Pembroke and a Welsh clerk of the wardrobe, Owen Tudor. As the great-granddaughter of John of Gaunt, Duke of Lancaster, Beaufort was part of this great struggle.īorn in 1443, the only surviving child of John Beaufort, Duke of Somerset, Margaret became a rich heiress at the age of eight, upon her father's death. Two powerful families, the Yorks (symbolized by a white rose) and the Lancasters (symbolized by a red rose), were immersed in schemes, murders, and battles as they fought for the throne of England. Her son, Henry VII, took the throne in 1485, becoming the first of the Tudor monarchs who would rule England until 1603.īeaufort lived during one of the most turbulent periods in English history: the age of the Wars of the Roses. Margaret Beaufort (1443-1509) survived the violent conflicts of the Wars of the Roses and went on to become the matriarch of one of England's most prominent royal dynasties.
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